Hold onto my hand! This is the last year of childhood before you become a young woman and move forward away from so many of the fantasies of childhood. I hope you have some Peter Pan moments. When Wendy was told she had outgrown the nursery she ran off with Peter Pan and had the grandest of adventures. I hope that you do too! Except for the running away with a strange boy part. But having a grand adventure, yes. Life can be such an amazing adventure. Especially when you are Lily and one of my favorite people on the planet.
It was fun to see you perform in the play Peter Pan this last year. I think you enjoyed being on stage and worked REALLY hard at memorizing all of your lines. You love to sing and dance and entertain. You also got to perform in the 4th grade singing performance as an Indian. You were so cute in your pigtails and blonde hair and big smile. You were excited to see your Dad show up at school that day and couldn't stop hugging him. You also WON the flag art contest for your 6th grade class. Thank you for letting me work on that with you and for including me in your celebration. I was proud that you put the time and effort into making such a nice flag for your classroom. And you were on the WINNING soccer championship team this last year! What an adventure it was to win the city championships. You helped your team immensely and showed a lot of talent as a goalie.
I know that ten was a year of adventures, fun, heartache and ups and downs. Darling, you have handled it all with exceptional grace. I loved taking you to Disneyland and seeing the absolute thrills on your face as you experienced the magic there. Lagoon was equally fun as you tackled all the biggest ride with your best buddy Sawyer close behind. You were so excited to share the big roller coasters with him now that he is taller. I think one of my favorite things about you is you never fail to see the magic. You look and search for it and absorb all of the particles possible. When Grandpa and Grandma surprised our family with a trip to the Great Wolf Lodge and you saw the enormous waterslides my eyes were glued to you only. Because your excitement and joy just rubs off on everyone and I knew if you were excited then the whole thing was going to be a smashing success.
I also loved seeing you meet your cat, Chatty. It was like an imprint moment when the two of you met, and we both knew immediately she was the right cat for our family. She is so special, just like you! We had been promising you for years that you would get a cat, and when we bought our new house in November you started reminding me OFTEN. So off we went for your birthday to pick one out. We bought her from a shelter, and I know that your heart had been set on a kitten, but we were so nervous. All of our hearts have opened up to love her and we are so glad that you opened your heart to accept an older cat.
My heart hurts every time you are looking to play with friends and can't find one. At this age you are particular, you realize that not everyone is kind, you realize that not everyone enjoys what you do, and you are more cautious with your heart and passions. I just want to make it easy for you, but you always surprise me by reminding me how resilient you are and so strong. I love that about you.
I love so many things about you. I can't wait to see what is in store for my bright, funny, sweet, generous, kind, loving, silly, and talented girl.
Love,
Mommy
(Can I claim that title for one more year before becoming just "Mom"?)
